


Close Your Eyes

by negiramen



Series: My Boredom Is Infinite [6]
Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: M/M, blind!woohyun, cuTIEPIES, one-shot request, sunggyu is so cool and shy and awkward lol what even, woogyu - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-05
Updated: 2014-07-05
Packaged: 2018-02-07 13:57:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1901592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/negiramen/pseuds/negiramen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>prompt requested on Twitter by @LyanaGyu:<br/>'can you write something like woohyun is blind and every morning he has to cross the road to get to the cafe he work.'<br/>'and it was sunggyu who helped him every morning. but woohyun never knew him but only his hand.'</p>
            </blockquote>





	Close Your Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Probably not what you expected, but hey, surprise!  
> A lot can happen with just blind!Woohyun to work with!
> 
> ~~~  
> don't steal and please do comment! <3

 

 

Woohyun has always been blind, for as long as he can remember. His parents, especially his mother, had not taken the news of his blindness well back then. His parents tried to give him a childhood that was similar to that of a normal child nevertheless. They taught him to see things with his other senses: touch, taste and hearing. His bright personality combined with the ‘training’ from his parents, allowed him to have a normal childhood. He grew up with the other children in the neighborhood, without being isolated.  
  
In school, he was an average student. Woohyun was by no means a dumb kid, but he preferred to spend his time playing instead of studying. He listened to a lot of audiobooks and music in his free time, drowning himself in the different sounds. Following the narrator’s voice into a different world or just making up stories or whole worlds to simply music. Sound was always the closest thing to seeing for him. Woohyun didn’t mind if he could not see, as long as he had his CDs. He could become a hero in his own little world with just the strike of a guitar chord.  
  
  


Now, at the age of 24, Woohyun is not a hero. He probably will never be. The blind man has a simple life. He has his own apartment. His parents had offered to move to Seoul to him, but Woohyun rejected their offer. He wants to make this work with his own power. His place is not far away from his workplace - actually, it’s right on the other side of the street. It’s not a special job. He owns a little café that he opened together with his old classmate Sungyeol. He is a bright and cheerful fellow that has never treated Woohyun different because of his disability. He’s a friend that Woohyun can trust blindly – ironic because he really is blind.  
  
Their little café is very popular with the residents in the area. Sungyeol bakes the sweets they sell and Woohyun takes care of the drinks. It took him a while to get things right, but since his parents always taught him to do things – like pouring himself a glass of milk – by himself, Woohyun is able to do a lot of stuff alone. He can count money very fast with his sense of touch, easily finding out what size the coin or the paper is and which weight is which sum.  
  
Although the café is right on the other side of the street, Woohyun has to make a big detour to reach his goal. The next traffic light is at the other end of the street. He does not know who constructed it like this, but it was probably not someone who thought a lot about blind people. Woohyun can’t just charge over the street when no car is coming to be faster. But then one day, Woohyun tries it out.

  
  
He is late for his shift at the café and Woohyun doesn’t want to spend even more time on taking the detour to the next traffic light. So he decides to just take his luck and run to the other side. It can’t be so complicated. It is just a street! Woohyun listens for a moment. He can hear a car, but it seems far away still. He takes a deep breath and then makes an attempt to run to the other side. He doesn’t count with running into someone halfway though. The other person makes him drop the bag he was carrying and shouts at him.  
  
“Yah! Are you blind? Watch where you are going!” A female voice scolds him and then she takes off again, her high heels clicking with every step.  
  
Woohyun crouches down to pick his bag up without paying attention to his surroundings. He notices the sound of the car engine too late, but then someone suddenly grabs his upper arm and pulls on it. Woohyun gasps and falls into the stranger’s arms. He feels the wind brushing through his hair as the car speeds by. “That was close.”  
  
It is not the woman from before. He can tell it is a man by the hand on his arm. The chest he is leaning against is firm and flat too. Woohyun feels his cheeks heat up. “T-Thank you…I didn’t see her.”  
  
“And neither the car, I know. You’re the blind worker at the café here, right?” The warm voice speaks - the tone low but soothing. It’s not a voice he has heard before. The stranger leads him somewhere, probably off the dangerous street.  
  
He looks at the direction where the stranger’s face should be. Woohyun is not very fond of being called ‘the blind worker’. “I have a name you know.”  
  
The man sighs. “I know. I-I should probably go. You’re okay from here on, right? We are on the other side of the street already. The shop is right behind you.”  
  
Before he can say anything, the warmth around him disappears and the stranger runs away. He can’t see it, but it certainly sounds more like running than normal walking. Woohyun frowns. _What a weird guy …how did he know me? Is he a customer? But I’m sure I haven’t heard his voice before…_  
  
“Oh my god, Woohyun! Are you okay?” Woohyun turns his head around, recognizing the worried voice of his friend.  
  
“I’m okay, Sungyeol.” He tries to calm the other.  
  
Sungyeol searches his body for injuries nevertheless. “Why did you run over the street like that? I saw it from the counter, but I was not fast enough to step out and save you. Then this guy suddenly appeared like Superman and swiped you off your feet, saving you last minute. It was like a scene from an action movie!”  
  
“Glad you found my near-death-experience exciting, Yeol.” His friend smacks his head and Woohyun yelps.  
  
“Sorry, it was not exciting, okay? Don’t do that again.”  
  
Woohyun smiles weakly and gives him a nod. “I think I learned my lesson. But Sungyeol,  did you recognize the guy?”  
  
Sungyeol hums. “Hmm…I only saw him from behind, but he didn’t seem familiar. Why are you asking? Did you fall for your savior?”  
  
The younger man elbows him and Woohyun gives him a light shove as his cheeks heat up. “No! I just thought I should thank him properly. And he knew I was blind, so I thought he comes here often.”  
  
“Maybe your mysterious savior will appear again. Come on, let’s get to work before the boss gets angry.”  
  
“I _am_ the boss.” And Sungyeol only laughs at that.  
  
  
  
Woohyun thinks about the stranger the whole day. He can’t forget his strong hands on his arm or the tender tone of his voice. His mind makes up images of what the stranger probably looks like, but Woohyun is not satisfied with any of them. He wonders how tall he is, if he is older or younger, what is his job, what color are his eyes…  
  
Before he knows it, his workday is over and even in his dreams he thinks of his ‘ _savior_ ’ – as Sungyeol calls him. His friend says that he has fallen in love at first sight, but how can a blind person even do that? Woohyun sighs and hugs his pillow harder, his heart racing inside his chest as he remembers what happened hours ago.  
  
 _Will I see him again?_  
  
  
  
It doesn’t take long for them to meet again and it happens so fast that Woohyun doesn’t know if he should be happy or freaked out. They meet again on the next day.  
  
He just walks out of his building like always, ready to take his detour to work when a familiar voice makes him stop in his tracks.  
  
“H-Hey.”  
  
The blind man takes a step back out of reflex. Before he can think of anything to say, the stranger speaks again. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!”  
  
Woohyun looks in his direction, still a bit on guard. “It’s okay. I was just surprised.”  
  
“I was worried you might try to walk over the street again…” He sounds genuinely worried and Woohyun feels his heart flutter in his chest.  
  
He grabs his stick harder as he tries to fight the nervousness. “I’m not stupid. I won’t do it again.”  
  
The stranger laughs shortly – warm and melodic. “I didn’t say you were. I guess I should leave again then. Sorry for…creeping you out.”  
  
Woohyun reaches out blindly with his hand and manages to grab the sleeve of his jacket. “W-Wait. I wanted to thank you properly, for yesterday I mean.”  
  
“You thanked me already. It’s fine, really. No need to give me anything.” The stranger replies.  
  
He bites his lower lip shortly. “Please, I want to thank you somehow. Just tell me what you want.”  
  
Woohyun doesn’t know why he insists like that, maybe because he does not want to lose the stranger again. Something about him attracts the blind man. It’s more than just the fact that he saved his life. There is something in his voice, in his demeanor, that intrigues Woohyun. He wants to know more about his savior.  
  
He hesitates for a moment and Woohyun gets wary. “Well, I…can I help you over the street every day?”  
  
Woohyun is certainly surprised by that request. He expected something like a cup of coffee or a voucher or something. The stranger seems to notice his obvious confusion. “I just thought that would save you the detour to the next traffic light. I’m sorry…that’s creepy, right? Why did I ask that ha...ha…”  
  
Now he’s even more confused. How does the stranger know his usual walking route? It certainly is a bit creepy, but somehow Woohyun finds it more flattering than anything else. His heart is beating fast in his chest, but not out of fear. He’s just asking to escort him over to the other side – can’t be that dangerous, right? Woohyun licks his lips nervously. The stranger tries to pull out of his grip, but the blind man doesn’t let go.  
  
“Wait.” He stops the other man. “Let’s do it.”  
  
“Eh?”  
  
“I’ll let you escort me for one week - on one condition.”  
  
“W-What is it?”  
  
“Tell me your name and age.”  
  
The stranger laughs once more and then a hand comes to rest on top of his. “You can call me hyung.”  
  
That’s all he gets as information before the other man takes his hand and escorts him over to the other side. Woohyun follows after him anxiously, but nothing happens and in the blink of an eye, they are already over the street. The stranger lets go of his hand again.  
  
“Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow, Woohyun.” He speaks cheerfully.  
  
And then he disappears like the wind again, too fast for Woohyun to stop him. He gets left behind, his right hand still tingling from the touch of the stranger’s warm hand. _He didn’t tell me his name. Why does he always run away like that?_  
  
He tells Sungyeol about his second meeting with ‘ _the savior_ ’ and his friend listens in awe. “Man, he’s either a creepy stalker that wants to sell your organs somewhere or he is a not-so-creepy stalker with a huge crush on you. Either way, he’s a stalker. A very handsome one.”  
  
His friend giggles and Woohyun is tempted to throw the cup of hot coffee in his hands into Sungyeol’s face. “Have you seen him before?”  
  
He is curious and wants to ask what the stranger looks like, but he doesn’t want to give Sungyeol the satisfaction of asking. “No. I wouldn’t forget such a face. Aren’t you curious, Woohyun? Should I tell you~?”  
  
 _Don’t throw the coffee at him. Don’t throw the coffee…_ “No! I don’t care! I’m just paying him back for saving my life!”  
  
Sungyeol giggles again. “Keep telling yourself that. Your face was as red as a tomato when you entered the café.”  
  
“It wasn’t!”  
  
“It was!”  
  
“It was not!”  
  
“It was!”  
  
“I’m sorry, my coffee-“  
  
Woohyun gasps and quickly hands the customer his coffee that he has been holding for a while now. “I’m sorry. Have a nice day.”  
  
Sungyeol elbows him once the customer is gone. “Blind people are allowed to fall in love too. Live a little.”  
  
He groans. “Aren’t you worried? What if he’s the crazy kind of stalker?”  
  
“Seeing as he blushes as much as you – I doubt that.” And with that piece of information, Sungyeol leaves him alone again to serve the customers.  
  
Woohyun spends his whole day thinking about the stranger again. Tomorrow he will get his name.  
  
  
  
He does not get his name. Not the next day and not the one after it. Though he does learn some things about the stranger during their short walks to the other side:  
  
1\. He must be a stalker; he knows when Woohyun’s shift starts and is always there when the blind man steps out of his house. Woohyun suspects that he lives in the same house and sees him leaving. So one day, he goes out extra early to check his theory, but the stranger is not there – he arrives on time half an hour later, constantly apologizing about being late - when he is clearly not -, but it’s amusing and strange and somehow nice.  
  
2\. He is a fast runner; he manages to get away every time after they are on the other side and Woohyun really wonders what the hell he is fleeing from – he asked the stranger once and got not answer; asked twice and was still ignored. Maybe he’s afraid of Sungyeol?  
  
3\. He is not afraid of Sungyeol; Woohyun’s best friend is in front of the café to meet them on one day and actually manages to have a short conversation with the stranger ( _Hey – Hello – I’m Sungyeol – I know_ ) before he flees.  
  
4\. He is good at avoiding a question; maybe he is a master conman, because he always finds a way not to tell Woohyun anything personal about himself, but instead Woohyun keeps spilling information to him. The walk to the other side is short, which barely leaves room to talk and somehow Woohyun always ends up filling the silence between them. There has probably never been a stalker victim more eager to share information.  
  
5\. He is afraid of dogs; one day a woman with a dog walks past them on the sidewalk and the man actually clings to Woohyun – what is a blind man supposed to do? ( _I thought you are protecting me and not the other way around – You didn’t see the dog. It was at least 5 feet tall – Idiot_)  
  
6\. He is either the slowest stalker on Earth or just a guy with a huge crush on him; when is he finally going to ask him out on a date? Woohyun already has his answer ready. ( _Yes)_  
  
7\. He’s a really bad stalker; one morning he is not there to fetch Woohyun and only appears again on the next day, apologizing about a hundred times ( _I had a sudden appointment. I didn’t have your number to call you_ ); which stalker doesn’t know the phone number of his victim? Woohyun gives it to him – he doesn’t get the stranger’s number.  
  
8\. He is the biggest secret known to ~~mankind~~ Woohyun; a week has passed already – the deadline was extended without the exchange of words – but he knows almost nothing about him. With the speed they are moving in, they are not going to date by the time the next millennium arrives – quote from Sungyeol.  
  
9\. He probably is just a shy, poor guy with a crush on him; Woohyun decides that he has to make the first step.  
  
When the stranger runs away next time, Woohyun calls after him. “Are you free on Sunday?”  
  
He doesn’t get an answer, but there is a message on his AB when he returns home after his shift. “ _I’ll be there._ ”  
  
  
Woohyun can barely sleep on the night before his ‘date’. He’s incredibly nervous because his last date was a long time ago and ended in a disaster. He has had relationships, but never a really solid one. Most people are not good with caring for a blind partner. He doubts the stranger minds his disability. That guy escorts him every morning after all, though Woohyun could obviously take a detour to the next traffic light. He doubts someone would work that hard just to have a one-night-stand with him.  
  
He does not know when the stranger will arrive, but _when_ he arrives, Woohyun is totally ~~un~~ prepared. (Apparently, he is not such a bad stalker, since he does know Woohyun’s apartment number without asking.) Woohyun is wearing all necessary clothes – he thinks – and he does not smell like a bottle of rotten milk anymore. The blind man rushes to the door as the bell rings, but hesitates to open it – what if a robber is standing in front of his door and not his favorite stalker?  
  
“Who’s there?”  
  
“It’s me.” Woohyun rolls his eyes. Of course he recognizes the voice, but he’d really like to know the name of the stranger after two weeks of constant ‘ _courting_ ’.  
  
“And that is who exactly?” He asks, smiling behind the door.  
  
Silence is his only answer and Woohyun opens the door in panic because he thinks the stranger has left, but his hands meet with a firm chest. A soft laugh rings in his ears. “Hi there. I’m the one who is going to cook lunch for you.”  
  
He pulls his hands back and smiles shyly. “H-Hey. Lunch? Are you going to poison me?”  
  
Another laugh. “If I wanted to kill you, I would’ve done it a long time ago. You told me you like Dak galbi, so I wanted to cook it for you.”  
  
Woohyun hears something rustle – a plastic bag. “I have all the ingredients ready.”  
  
He stares in the direction of the stranger for a moment, both in surprise and joy. He really loves that dish and he is sort of happy that the other man still seems to remember that fact – well, he’s Woohyun’s stalker after all. He’s flattered nevertheless. “Okay, you can come inside, _stranger_.”  
  
The older man chuckles and moves past him into the apartment. Woohyun feels the fleeting touch of a hand on his cheek as the man walks by. He stays frozen at the door for a moment, while the stranger explores his apartment. Woohyun follows him after a few minutes, still a little surprised by the sudden touch.  
  
“I found your kitchen. It’s a lovely apartment, Woohyun.”  
  
He walks towards the direction of the voice, his kitchen, and hears the stranger unpack his stuff. “Thank you. How did you know which apartment is mine?”  
  
“You told me.”  
  
“I didn’t. Did you follow me inside? Are you really a stalker?”  
  
He chuckles again. “Shouldn’t you ask something like that before letting me into your apartment?”  
  
Woohyun pouts and folds his arms. “Woohyun, I’m not stalking you and I didn’t follow you home. It’s…complicated, but I got your address perfectly legal.”  
  
“Why can’t you just give me a clear answer for once? What’s so hard about telling me your name? I just want to know something about you!” He walks towards the other and almost bumps into something, but the older man stops him with his hands before he can hurt himself. Woohyun doesn’t want to shout at him, but he’s desperate to know more. He can’t continue admiring a faceless shadow in his mind.  
  
The strong hands stroke his upper arms softly. “I’m sorry. I’m a coward. Give me a bit more time.“  
  
Woohyun sighs and turns out of his grip. “How long do I have to wait? Are you playing with me?”  
  
He doesn’t manage to leave the kitchen since the stranger grabs him again. But this time he pulls Woohyun against his chest and wraps his arms around him. The blind man lets out a short yelp and struggles inside the tight grip. “I’m not playing with you. Can’t you hear my heartbeat?”  
  
Woohyun stops his movements and the stranger brings his ear to rest on his left chest, right where his heart should be underneath the skin. And he can hear it beat, just as fast as his own, almost in synch. Woohyun blushes and clings to the stranger’s shirt. “If not for you, this would not be beating right now. I like you, Woohyun, I really do. I’m sorry for all the secrets. I will tell you after we are done eating, okay?”  
  
He nods slowly and the older man lets go of him again. Woohyun feels a little empty and lost when the warmth is gone. Only his lonely heartbeat is left for him. _He likes me. He likes me. He’s going to tell me._  
  
The blind man waits on the couch in the living room, while the stranger prepares the food. He can hear the meat sizzle and every other little noise the other man makes in the kitchen. It’s basically in the same room anyways, only separated from the living room by the big counter. Woohyun gets bored after a few minutes and turns the music on. It’s a CD with his favorite songs that he likes to listen to every day. They are all composed by the same man and most of the lyrics are from him as well. Woohyun admires all of his works. They are his inspiration both in composition and lyrics - true masterpieces. Sadly, the composer is not active anymore. He just disappeared years ago without anyone knowing why.  
  
“Woohyun, can you turn off the music?”  
  
He turns his head towards the kitchen where the stranger is. “Why? Do you not like the song? It’s beauti-”  
  
“Just… _please_.” The older man _begs_ him and  Woohyun turns it off again.  
  
The stranger gets back to working on the food. He sits down on the couch again with a sigh, wondering what ticked his guest off about the song. Luckily, it doesn’t take long until the food finishes. Woohyun doubts the food will taste bad, because the scent in the air is just fantastic.  
  
“I hope it’s to your liking. I haven’t cooked for someone else in a while…” The other man says as they sit down at the table.  
  
Woohyun smiles and his fingers find the chopsticks next to his plate. “It smells wonderful. Are you a cook by any chance?”  
  
“No…I’m far from being that good. I just had a lot of time for cooking lately…I guess.”  
  
He hums and tries some of the meat. It tastes extremely good and Woohyun spends the next minutes eagerly stuffing the food inside his mouth instead of talking. The older man doesn’t seem to mind it though.  
  
  
  
“That was the best Dak galbi I ever ate.” Woohyun says as he puts down his chopsticks. His stomach feels like it’s about to burst.  
  
The stranger laughs shortly. “Thank you. I’m glad you liked it.”  
  
Woohyun smiles. “So…about your name-“  
  
“I’ll do the dishes first.” The other man interrupts him and Woohyun hears him stand up to bring the plates to the sink.

He sighs and follows the other after a moment of hesitation. Woohyun steps behind him and puts his arms around the taller man. “Why can’t you tell me? What are you afraid of?”  
  
The stranger stops his moment and Woohyun holds his breath. “My name is Sunggyu.”  
  
He smiles widely at the sound of the name. _Sunggyu._ It is perfect, fitting and absolutely- “Kim Sunggyu.”  
  
His smile falters as the name rings a bell inside his head. The blind man steps back with a frown. He clenches his fists. “I… _wow_ …so you know which composer I like. Well, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. You _are_ a stalker after all! Of course you know something like that! Why can’t you just tell me your real name? I didn’t ask to be mocked!”  
  
“No! I’m…I’m not stalking you-“ The stranger – Sunggyu? – sounds hurt and disappointed, but Woohyun is too confused, too angry to think about that.  
  
“Are you trying to trick me because I’m blind?!” He shouts in anger.  
  
“No…no…I…I knew I shouldn’t have come. I shouldn’t have talked to you. I- I’m sorry. I should go.” The older man mumbles and then quickly runs past Woohyun.  
  
The blind man is caught between going after him and staying where he is, but the sound of the front door closing hits him a few seconds later. _Too late._ Woohyun lets out a shaky sigh and leans against the kitchen counter for support. _Kim Sunggyu_. How did he find out about his favorite composer? It’s not like a lot of people know about his secret obsession and he’s sure that he never told the stranger.  
  
He feels a lot of things, but mainly betrayal. He thought he finally has a name, but it turns out to be a lie. Why is the stranger posing as Kim Sunggyu? Kim Sunggyu is not someone who would appear in front of Woohyun to save his life. Kim Sunggyu is not a stalker. He’s a renowned composer of a lot of popular songs, not someone who chases after blind baristas.  
  
Woohyun walks over to the couch again and turns on the music once more. He listens and listens, for hours, just one song after another. And just before he falls asleep, he starts to wonder:

_What if?_  
  
  
  
The stranger is not there on Monday. Woohyun has to walk the detour.  
  
No one helps him over the street on Tuesday.  
  
It rains on Wednesday.  
  
Thursday – still rain.  
  
Two Fridays pass.  
  
And then there is a package in his mail box.  
  
  
  
The blind man opens it carefully when he is back in his apartment. His fingers find a CD inside. There is a little piece of paper with a short message written in braille as well. _‘For the one that made my heart beat again. I’m sorry.’_  
  
Woohyun bites his lower lip anxiously. He has no doubts the message is from his stalker. He stands up and switches his CD with the unknown one. Woohyun sits down again before pressing the play button on the remote control. Soft music fills the room after a short pause of silence. It’s nothing he has heard before, but it has something familiar to it nevertheless. Something he cannot put his finger on. The piece is mesmerizing, the piano play definitely that of an experienced player. It sounds a bit melancholic and yet it has a positive ring to it, as if you got caught in a rain shower, but then it ends as sudden as it started and the sun shines upon you again.  
  
There’s another song after it. This time it’s played with a guitar and more cheerful, somehow playful like a puppy in the snow. Woohyun smiles as he listens to it. There is still this feeling of something familiar…  
  
More songs follow - 5 in total. Except for the first two songs, the other songs have multiple instruments playing and only the lyrics seem to miss. Woohyun can almost see the words forming in his mind though. They are hidden between every note he hears. A hidden message only for him.  
  
Just when he wants to turn the stereo off, the system switches to another track. _Another one? I thought it was over._  
  
“ _Hey._ ”  
  
Woohyun’s breath hitches as he hears the voice he missed so much.  
  
“ _I know this is pretty cowardly, but I didn’t know how else to face you. I know you are mad at me. It’s understandable. I want to defend myself and say I’m no stalker, but I probably am. You don’t have to listen to this if you don’t want to. Your last chance to forget me, Woohyun._ ”  
  
He pulls his legs to his chest and rests his chin on his knee. “I wish I could forget you so easily.”  
  
“ _First off, my name really is Kim Sunggyu. Don’t get mad again. I am who you think I am. I became a composer at young age after my parents discovered my talents. They led me on this path and I had fun with it. I could do what I like, play music all day. I composed and played and wrote lyrics every day. I never cared who bought it or what it was used for in general. My parents took care of everything. But you probably know that already, right? It’s something every fan can easily find out. Many things were so easily to be found out.  
Later, when I got older, I learned how to lie to hide my secrets, how to play with an interviewer, how to play a certain role. I learned what to say and what to hide. People called me all kind of things…a genius, a nice kid, a polite son, a true angel…people adored me and loved me. But that was not me, Woohyun. That was an image we, my parents and I, created. I was a terrible person. Greed got me at some point of my teenage life and then it became all about the money. I forgot what fun was and what I liked about music. I started to care about the numbers – how much did the single I compose sell, how many albums in total, how many people are in my fanclub, how many people had I slept with this week…I became a monster of my own fame._”  
  
Woohyun grabs the remote control and pauses the track for a moment. The Kim Sunggyu he knows is not like that. He was well-liked by everyone, an idol for every aspiring musician. _Lies …it must be lies…why are you doing this?_ He wants to think they are all lies, but why do the previous songs make him think of Kim Sunggyu the composer. Why does it sound like _him_?  
  
“ _You don’t believe me, right? I did well in covering up my ugly insides. I spent so many afternoons just sitting in front of my computer, laughing at the comments of those naïve kids praising me and my work. I laughed because they were so stupid, so low compared to me, just dirt beneath my feet-_ “  
  
“No! No! Stop tainting his image…”  
  
“ _But my defense was not as good as I thought. A reporter found out I was gay. He caught me on camera with some dude I hooked up with. He threatened to release the pictures if we didn’t pay him a certain amount of money. My parents were furious when they found out – not because of the reporter – they were shocked their son was gay. I never told them and that’s when everything started to crumble. They paid the money, but it didn’t end things for me. We argued constantly, they made me stop my meetings with my ‘friends’ and set me up with girls instead, trying to ‘correct’ me and get me a wife, just in case the reporter tried to frame me again.  
The whole incident and the pressure from my parents drove me into a corner. I found it hard to concentrate, hard to finish a piece and then it got hard to even look at my instruments. I got headaches just thinking about composing something, but no one cared. My parents and our contractors wanted more, new songs, new lyrics, more and more. I could not deliver that and one day…I broke. I had another argument with my parents. I said I needed a break and that I could not go on like this. I could not compose anymore…the melodies were gone from my head. The music had left my side. You know what they said? They said if it weren’t for my music, then I’d be just another useless brat in this world. That I was just a nobody without music. And I…I believed them._”  
  
It’s quiet for a while and Woohyun dreads what he is about to hear. His body is trembling from the things he just heard. He can’t believe any of it. The Kim Sunggyu he admires cannot be this man…this sad creature…  
  
“ _I’m not proud of what I did and I want you to know that I’m not telling you this to get your pity. The night after the talk with my parents, I tried to kill myself. The old school way: with a razor blade. I almost succeeded, but then my father caught me bleeding all over the bathroom floor and I was brought to the hospital. I barely survived and my parents somehow managed not to let any of it slip to the reporters. I was unconscious for days, but when I woke up my parents were with me. They told me that they had announced I would be taking a break for an indefinite amount of time. They told me that they were sorry and that they understood my worries now, but I just felt so …broken and empty inside. I couldn’t feel anything but emptiness. I just cursed my luck for not dying…”_  
  
Woohyun’s crying by now. His heart is breaking at every word the stranger speaks.  
  
“ _I had to stay in the hospital for a while – for further monitoring, just in case I’d try it again. And if they had released me immediately back then, I’d probably have done it again. Even when I was out of the hospital, I still had to see a therapist. My parents suggested I could read my fan mail - maybe it would ‘cheer me up’. I didn’t touch the letters at first. I was afraid of what I would find. I didn’t want to see the fruits of my lies anymore.  
I got curious after a few months of boredom, tired of just feeling dead inside. I started to read to pass my time and I had a lot of free time, since I was not working anymore. I had just kept myself hidden in my room after the incident.  
The letters were all about the sudden announcement of my indefinite break. Most of the letters just felt…like nothing to me. I was an empty shell and their words sounded just as empty as I felt, but then…I found a letter that was different. A letter from a certain Nam Woohyun. Should I read out the address for you? I have the letter in front of me right now-“_  
  
His eyes widen in surprise as he hears the familiar address. _That’s how he knew …he knew…he read my letter. He’s…_  
  
“ _Something about your letter was different – it made my heart beat again. It was written on computer, but I still felt like I could feel the honesty in your words. It was like I could read your personality from the way you chose your words - so honest and bright. You told me that you adored my music and how heartbroken you were because I’d disappeared. I started to dig deeper and found your old emails on my account. I read all of them without a break, fascinated by the blind boy that loved my music. Somehow your words moved something inside of me. They made me believe in my work again. Maybe I was fascinated how someone without eyesight could be so optimistic. And I guess that’s when I started to stalk you…haha…  
I had your address from your letters, so I just took the bus one day and looked around for you. I actually went up to your apartment once, but you were not there. When I left, I saw you leaving the café on the other side. How I knew it was you? Well, I figured there were not too many blind people living here and something about you just told me that it was you. I observed you and noticed that you walked a big detour to get home. I don’t know why, but I came every day from that day on, observing your patterns, at what time you go to work and when you go home, how you always walked the same detour every time. What I do know is…I started composing again. I’d think about you in my room, the blind man that faced life with a bright attitude despite his disability, and then the music was at the tips of my fingers again. How could I mope around in my room, while you were out there living life to the fullest, despite all difficulties? I felt the music return to me with every day I spent watching you. My heart felt like it was beating for a reason again.  
I never planned on talking to you, but then you went and almost got yourself killed. Good thing I was there, right? And I-_”  
  
Woohyun jumps up from the couch. He runs towards the front door, only grabbing his stick before dashing out of his apartment. The voice on the CD is still talking when he hurries down the corridor in his socks, his stick clicking every time it hits the ground. Woohyun steps out of the building and looks around aimlessly. He concentrates on the sounds around him, though he can only manage to hear his own hard breathing.  
  
He takes a few careful steps while swiping his stick over the ground, trying to see if someone is there or not. His stick hits something unfamiliar and Woohyun reaches out with his hand blindly. A hand meets his half-way and the blind man sighs in relief. “Sunggyu.”  
  
The stranger intertwines their fingers and Woohyun moves closer to him, dropping his stick to hug the other. “Woohyun…I…”  
  
“Ssh, don’t say anything for a moment. Just hold me.”  
  
Sunggyu complies and wraps his arms around him, offering the barely dressed male some warmth. Woohyun takes the moments of silence to think about everything he just heard. He thought everything was a lie at the start, but then it started to make sense. How the stranger knew so much about him, about his address and even his best friend. Woohyun could even remember hearing once that Kim Sunggyu was afraid of dogs. And he didn’t know what his voice sounded like, because the composer had mostly given written interviews. He curses himself for being so _blind_ for the truth.  
  
“Why didn’t you tell me?”  
  
“I was afraid you would not believe me…and you didn’t. I didn’t think I was worth all of your admiration. The one you liked was a lie and I was afraid of letting that bubble burst.”  
  
“I’m sorry for not believing you.” Woohyun whispers softly and tightens his grip. More tears roll down his cheeks.  
  
Sunggyu sighs and rubs his back. “Why are you crying? Don’t cry for someone like me, Woohyun.”  
  
He hits his chest. “Because I never knew. You suffered all these years, all alone, and I never knew. You nearly died and I…I never knew. Don’t ever think of doing that again. Promise me.”  
  
“I promise…now stop crying, please.” The composer raises a hand to wipe his tears away, but they just keep coming. “Don’t you hate me?”  
  
“No…how could I ever hate you. We all make mistakes, just look at us so-called fans and we never once noticed your suffering. Besides, you learned from your mistakes, didn’t you?” Sunggyu hums shortly. “Then it’s fine. I forgive you – even for the stalking, which is still kind of creepy by the way.”  
  
They laugh together and Woohyun finally feels his tears stopping. Sunggyu’s hand cups his cheek. “Do you like the songs? They were all about you. How you pulled me out of my depression, how I found your letters and then you, my blind hero.”  
  
Woohyun’s heart skips a beat, although he already expected something like that. He glances up at Sunggyu – or at least in the direction his face should be in. He smiles. “They are perfect. The whole time I thought the sound felt familiar but now I know why. They have your signature all over them.”  
  
“Is that a bad thing?” He chuckles at the obvious anxiousness in Sunggyu’s voice.  
  
“It’s a good thing. It’s like a part of your soul is in the songs. Now that I think about it, your songs shortly before the break had missed this trait. I’m stupid for not noticing it earlier…and here I am so proud of my hearing.”  
  
“A part of my soul…well, there’s certainly a part of my heart in them.” Woohyun blushes as a thumb strokes over his cheek. “I know I’ve done everything wrong, but could you give me another chance to right things? Let’s start again.”  
  
He fights a smile. “No.”  
  
Woohyun can literally feel his disappointment, so he quickly adds: “We don’t need a new start. I want us to continue from right where we are. With all the lies gone between us. There is nothing to right or to change.”  
  
Sunggyu laughs softly and Woohyun holds his breath when he feels the older man’s breath on his skin. “Can I kiss you?”  
  
“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for you to ask that. Yes.”  
  
And then they finally kiss. It’s everything that Woohyun expected and more. Soft, warm and filled with a familiar melody.  
  
Sometimes a stalker was not such a bad thing after all and sometimes you are already a hero without knowing it yourself.


End file.
